The invention relates to a control system for a machine tool having a work space and machining units arranged therein, the control system comprising a visualization controller which, based on operating data and based on a stored machine model, represents the machine tool, at least in the region of the work space thereof, on a visualization unit, by means of visualization elements, as a virtual machine tool having virtual machining units provided in a virtual work space, and represents the functions of the virtual machining units as virtual functions.
Such control systems are known from the prior art. These control systems operate as conventional programmable control systems, for example CNC control systems, and by means of the visualization controller and the visualization unit also allow functions of the machine tool which are specifiable by the operating
data to be represented as virtual functions, and thus to determine and/or test, for example, the functionality of a subprogram for controlling the machine tool, the subprogram being generated in a conventional manner by generation of data records.
It is an object of the invention, therefore, to configure a control system of the generic type so that it is easier to operate.